I sent a simple message to an Irish friend a couple days before visiting Bar 43 for the first time: "Where can I find the best pint of Guinness in Sunnyside?" I received a simple answer in response: "Bar 43."
I went a couple days later shortly after 5pm on a Wednesday to find the place empty except for the bar which was almost fully packed. It appeared that some had been here for hours and some others minutes, but almost all were tending a Guinness. A good sign despite the non-Irish feel of the place: modern, sleek decor and a lot of flat-screen televisions.
It did not take long for the bar to feel like being back in Ireland though, with the small quirky details emerging, the friendliness, and the bartender always taking care of you. It happened to be happy hour (weekdays 11am - 7pm, Guinness $4), so I settled in to have two pints and give the place a try.
Around four hours later I finally left, the bartender had bought my third and convinced me to stay for a fourth, then proceeded to buy the whole bar a round when it was time for my fifth. It gave me a chance to also peruse the menu, which had bar food, but also a couple pages of fancy looking foods that did not seem to fit the clientele, but were said to be excellent. I stuck to the Guinness and ordered a small (read: large) basket of fries ($4).
Part of the fun here was observation, as everyone seemed to know each other. It was almost like a community center, and something of a bank as someone had brought in what looked to be a tax refund check and cashed it at the bar before beginning to drink.
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